Getting a paternity test might be a very sensitive issue for some as it might be associated with many personal or family problems, however taking a paternity test may be a legal or procedural requirement as well. That’s why there is a need for 24 hour DNA testing labs that allow quick and accurate paternity testing for all.
In one of our previous blogs we talked about DNA and genetic testing; its types and importance, but today in this article we are going to focus only on paternity testing, one of the types of DNA testing, and its importance and usefulness for the test takers, families, legal and healthcare professionals.
Usefulness of DNA Paternity Testing
Paternity testing can be performed and requested by the child themselves or the parent of the child for many various reasons, which include:
Personal Reasons
Identifying Biological Father: Probably the most common reason is when questions or uncertainties arise regarding the child’s lineage, bloodline or family history. The child themselves or any other party tends to take paternity tests to learn more about the real father. Tests in these cases are very important as they determine parental responsibility or inheritance rights
Confirming Sibling Relationships: Two or more individuals with a doubt that they might or might not be siblings, a paternity tests can help clear their doubts by identifying if they are blood or half brothers or sisters
Legal Requirements
Inheritance and Property Rights: Incase of inheritance or property disputes, paternity genetic testing can help identify the real and rightful heir of a property/ inheritance left behind by a deceased individual.
Child support and Custody: when there’s a question of custody issues and child support in case of divorce or for a child born out of wedlock, the court may order a paternity test to be able to give fair judgements, such as custody or visitation rights or establishing legal and final responsibilities of a child.
Immigration: In some immigration processes, a genetic test might be required to establish a blood relationship (if mentioned in the documents) between the person sponsoring and the immigrant (e.g a parent, child, sibling, uncle or an aunt)
Healthcare
Medical Reasons: Genetic testing is often done for medical reasons such as knowing the biological parent’s identity can be important for identifying the potential genetic disorders, inherited and hereditary conditions or other health risks.
Types of Paternity Testing
Non- invasive Prenatal Paternity Test (NPPT)
These non-invasive tests are performed on mothers who are into the eighth week of pregnancy, on the advice and suggestion of the healthcare provider. This method has little to none risks to the mother and the fetus. A blood sample is collected. This test involves a simple blood sample from the pregnant mother and a cheek swab from the potential father. By analyzing the baby’s DNA present in the mother’s bloodstream, it provides accurate results without posing any risk to the baby or the pregnancy.
Invasive Prenatal Paternity Test
An Invasive Prenatal Paternity Test involves medical procedures like amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS). These methods collect samples of amniotic fluid or placental tissue around the fetus for DNA analysis. Testing is done in the same way in which the sample is compared with the cheek swab sample of the potential father. While highly accurate, they carry a small risk of complications, such as miscarriage, since they require accessing the womb directly.
Reading Paternity Test Results
Paternity tests determine whether an individual is the father of the child in question. They are typically employed using a cheek swab test but in some cases paternity test is also done taking a blood sample.
The results for paternity tests are easily readable, when they give a “probability of paternity.” There are two possible answers, “0” or “99.9”
- 0 means- there is no match found between the potential father and the child/fetus i.e. he is not the father
- 99.9 – this means there is a high match found between the potential father and the child, meaning there are high chances he might be the real father.
Importance of Paternity Tests
Taking paternity tests may have minor risks, however they have the power to solve a lot of matters whether they are personal or legal.
- Resolve Family Disputes: Paternity tests can resolve many family disputes arising from uncertainty on a child’s identity and paternal confusions.
- Personal Peace of Mind: Someone covered in doubts might find comfort or peace in knowing the truth about themselves or someone related to them instead of not knowing.
- Legal Proceedings: Just like family issues, many legal disputes can also be solved with court’s orders based on the paternity test. These could be property and inheritance issues or child custody rights.
- Preventive Healthcare: Determining a child’s family background might help in taking preventive measures against many potential health issues like genetic disorders, hereditary conditions.
Ensure Peace of Mind With Accurate Paternity Testing
Paternity test is a type of 24 hour DNA test that has the potential to solve many personal and legal disputes regarding the confusion on a child’s paternal history. With less risky non-invasive and slightly risky yet advanced invasive prenatal tests, tests can also be held on unborn children, through pregnant mothers.
These methods provide efficient, and reliable ways to address personal, legal, and healthcare concerns, which deliver peace of mind, establish clear familial connections and ensure fairness and clarity for all parties involved.
